The Knight and The Maiden
by don't-tell-me-not-to-live
Summary: "Daddy, will you tell me a bedtime story?" *Day Five of the 'Inception Oneshot' Week*


**Day Five of the 'Inception' Oneshot Week' is finally here! Only TWO MORE DAYS till I post 'We'll Be a Dream'!**

**This oneshot is dedicated to the loverly EmoGleek- my 'sister'! =} She's been requesting a future fic since forever, so this one is for her!**

**AND I wrote this in, like, ONE HOUR cuz my parents and I stayed out late (even though I BEGGED them to bring me home so I could write-they never listen to me...), so if it sucks, that's why...**

**But, anyway, I hope you enjoy it!**

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**The Knight and The Maiden**

"Daddy, will you tell me a bedtime story?"

Arthur smiled. "Sure, Ava…" He toed off his leather shoes and lifted the covers of his daughter's bed, snuggling beside her. The point man hugged her close and ran a hand through her thick brown hair. "What kind of story do you want?"

Ava rested her head on her father's chest, her cheek pressed against his black waistcoat. "Um….I wanna hear my favorite story!"

Arthur chuckled, the sound echoing inside the small room. "Okay, okay…" he cleared his throat and began to recite the tale he told at least one a week. "Once upon a time, in a land called Inceptania, there lived a great and powerful king."

"What was his name?" The five year-old asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"His name was King Saitor," He replied. "And he ruled the land of Inceptania with an iron fist. Now, Inceptania was a beautiful city, full of marvelous buildings and wonderful people, but King Saitor was greedy. He wanted to rule the neighboring kingdom, which was owned by King Fichston."

"Fichston is a funny name!" Ava giggled. Her father laughed along with her.

"Yes, I suppose it is…but back then, the name 'Fischton' could make common people quake with fear. But Saitor thought that he was a greater king, so he decided to try and take over Fischton's city."

"So how did he take it over, Daddy?"

"Well, he called together a special group of people to help him. First, there was Prince Dominic- he was a great leader, and an ally of the king. And Prince Dominic asked his best friend, Sir Artimus to accompany him. Sir Artimus was a skilled knight, and very smart too."

"Smarter than you, Daddy?"

Arthur grinned. "Of course not! Now are you going to keep interrupting, or are you going to let Daddy finish the story?"

Ava's eyes widened. "Finish the story! Finish the story!"

"Okay, but you have to be quiet…" When his daughter nodded fervidly, he continued. "As I was saying, Prince Dominic hired Sir Artimus to help him. But he also hired a few other people. First, there was Eamesly- he was the royal jester, known for his ability to trick and wit. And then there was Yusufer, the best wizard in all of Inceptania. He was very good at making powerful potions."

"But what about the maiden, Daddy? What about the maiden?"

"I was just getting to that, Ava. Don't worry…"

"Sorry, Daddy. She's just my favorite character…"

Arthur laughed. "I know, honey. I know…Last, but not least, Prince Dominic hired a maiden named Ari. She was a young artist, and she liked to make incredible sculptures…"

"What did she look like, Daddy?"

"She was beautiful. She had long brown hair, and big, wide eyes," He looked down at his daughter and tapped her nose lightly. "Just like you!"

She smiled, wrinkling her nose up. "Daddy, I'm ticklish there! Finish the story!"

"Okay, okay….Well, Sir Artimus was smitten with Ari. And, even though he didn't know it yet, she liked him too. And so, Ari, Sir Artimus, and the rest of the team began their quest to Fischton's kingdom."

"Did they have to fight any bad guys?"

"Of course! The team was forced to fight an evil queen named Malis, who tried to stop them from getting in the kingdom. But Prince Dominic was able to defeat her, and was able to conquer King Fischton. And King Saitor was so happy, he decided to reward Prince Dominic by reuniting him with his family, who were being held captive by Malis."

"And what about Sir Artimus and Ari?" Ava asked, her chocolate brown eyes staring up at him. Her mother's eyes. "What happened to them?"

Arthur opened his mouth to speak, but a soft voice cut him off before he could say a word.

"They lived happily ever after."

Both he and his daughter turned towards the door, only to see Ariadne standing there, a small smile on her face.

"Mommy!" Ava called. "Daddy just told me a story!"

"I can see that," the architect chuckled, winking at her husband. "But it's time for bed, love."

"Do I have to?" the little girl whined, looking back and forth between her parents.

"You heard Mommy," Arthur replied, slipping out of the bed. "It's time to sleep." He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his daughter's cheek. "Sweet dreams, honey…"

"Goodnight, Ava," Ariadne murmured softly from the doorway.

Ava yawned and smiled sleepily at her parents. "Goodnight…"

When her breathing finally became even, Arthur tiptoed away from her bedside, wrapping his arms around Ariadne, who was still watching her daughter's sleeping form. "She's growing up quickly, isn't she?"

His wife nodded. "Seems just like yesterday we brought her home from the hospital."

He smiled and softly kissed her, before taking her hand and pulling her out of the room. "Let's go to sleep, too, love- we have work tomorrow…"

Ariadne walked out and shut the door, following her husband to their own bedroom. She reached into her pocket and touched her totem, but didn't pull it out. She didn't need to.

Because she knew for a fact that she wasn't dreaming.

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